FORT MYERS, Fla. - The Martin Luther College softball team split its two games in Florida for the second straight day on Saturday. The Knights lost 11-4 to Kenyon College in the morning before topping Alfred State 12-4 in six innings in the afternoon.

Kenyon 11, MLC 4

Kenyon jumped out to a big early lead and never let up as the Knights lost game one 11-4.

Kenyon built a 7-0 lead off MLC starting pitcher Morgan Palubicki (0-5) after 2.5 innings, but the Knights came back to score four times in the bottom of the third frame to cut the deficit to 7-4. MLC sent 10 batters to the plate in the inning and took advantage of a pair of Kenyon errors, but left the bases loaded before it could do even more damage.

That would be all the scoring for the Knights, as Kenyon added four more runs in the final four innings to secure the win. 

Palubicki pitched the first five innings in defeat and allowed 11 runs on 16 hits, while Elena Hoffman led the Knights at the plate with two hits to go with one run scored and one run batted in.

MLC 12, Alfred State 4 (6 innings)

The MLC offense came alive in game two as they stopped Alfred State in six innings by the score of 12-4.

Alfred State scored twice in the top of the first inning, but the Knights responded with four in the bottom of the first, and then put the game away with a five-run fifth inning. 

Kayla Rosenbaum and Brittany Denn each scored three times and recorded two hits apiece. Kelsey Birschbach finished with two hits, two runs scores and two RBI, while Brett Burger also drove in a pair of runs. 

Rebecca Pruss (2-1) started the game and earned the win for the Knights after allowing four runs on seven hits in 5.0 innings. 

MLC improved to 2-6 on the season after the split. The Knights will return to action tomorrow (Sunday, March 10) in Florida when they face Wilmington (9 a.m.) and RIT (11 a.m.).